Global Terrorism: What Countries Suffer Most?
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Creator
Ayer, Jennifer
Abstract
Though 9/11 is becoming a distant memory for the United States, terrorism continues to erupt in many other parts of the world. Between 2004 and 2006, almost 29,000 terrorist attacks were carried out around the world. While some countries faced no attacks, other countries experienced over 1,000. It is possible that some countries are inherently more susceptible to terrorist attacks. Region, government structure, gross domestic product, and a wealth of natural resources are a few of the factors that may affect a nation's chances of suffering terrorist attacks. This thesis aims to shed light on which characteristics have the highest impact on level of terrorism. Using data from the National Counterterrorism Center and the Central Intelligence Agency, multiple regression analysis was used to assess the impact of several factors on the number of terrorist attacks suffered by a country. While most variables did not prove significant, the model did show that South Asian and Middle Eastern countries, democracies, and countries that spend a large portion of their GDP on military expenses are more likely to suffer from terrorism. These results can inform future policy decisions. Though a country cannot change its region and is unlikely to change its government structure, countries aiming to reduce their threat of terrorism may realize that increasing the size and strength of their militaries may not be a sufficient protection measure as terrorists may actually find countries with strong militaries to be more attractive targets. Given the nimble and ever-changing nature of terrorist organizations, it is very difficult to combat them. Because each country has a different level of risk, each government needs a solid understanding of its unique threat level in order to establish the best policies to protect its population.
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http://hdl.handle.net/10822/555896Date Published
2008-05Type
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